Former President Donald Trump is taking a jab at former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for speaking “favorably” about one of his potential primary rivals.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a comment from McEnany about an interview he did with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“Strong foreign policy interview from [President Donald Trump] on Tucker Carlson,” she wrote, adding, “Trump excels when he talks about policy, emphasizes his experience, and reminds Americans how safe our country was on his watch.”
Normally, you might expect the 45th president to simply share a glowing comment written about him.
However, Trump apparently feels McEnany had been too favorable to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) when his poll numbers were better.
“I guess Kayleigh is no longer speaking so favorably about DeSanctimonious now that his Polls are shot!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
🚨President Trump makes new statement on @kayleighmcenany pic.twitter.com/0wWklSYiF5
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) April 30, 2023
Some strong supporters such as Laura Loomer joined, as she tweeted, “Over the last few months, she’s been a cheerleader for [DeSantis] even though she owes her career to President Trump.
She still hasn’t endorsed him for 2024.”
However, former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis responded, “[McEnany] doesn’t owe her career to Trump. She was a CNN contributor and the RNC spokesperson prior to her roles with Trump’s campaign and Admin. She’s also a graduate of Harvard.”
“Her own hard work and faithfulness to Christ advanced her career. Just because someone did a phenomenal job for Trump ALSO, it doesn’t mean we all owe him whatever he demands out of ‘loyalty’ forever for all our own hard work prior, during, and after him,” Ellis continued, adding, “This is embarrassing from idiots like Loomer whose own focus now is just desperately trying to get where we were.”
.@kayleighmcenany doesn’t owe her career to Trump. She was a CNN contributor and the RNC spokesperson prior to her roles with Trump’s campaign and Admin. She’s also a graduate of Harvard.
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) April 30, 2023
Her own hard work and faithfulness to Christ advanced her career.
Just because someone did… pic.twitter.com/JWysJ8lgGo
Ellis would know something about the way MAGA World has turned on people who used to work for Trump due to a perception of disloyalty. Republican strategist Alex Bruesewitz recently began circulating memes comparing her to adult film star Stormy Daniels for making positive comments about DeSantis.
McEnany was a strong defender of Trump during her time at CNN, and later as White House press secretary.
But as is typical with the former president, if you somehow come off as disloyal, he can turn on you no matter how much you previously supported or defended him.
During a segment of Fox News’ “Outnumbered” in February, McEnany urged DeSantis to join the 2024 Republican presidential primary field.
“I do think when you look at Nikki Haley’s polling – she was at about 1%, now she’s at 3% – she was the hottest name in Republican politics in 2011 to like 2015, I would say. This is the case, what you’re watching right now polling at 3%, for Governor Ron DeSantis to get in now,” McEnany said.
She added, “People say, ‘Will he get in? Will he wait?’ How can you wait when you are currently the hottest governor in Republican politics, seeing how hard it is to regenerate that attention almost a decade later?”
It’s hard to see how Trump and his supporters turning on those who used to be his strongest backers is going to help him in the election.
